War on Mercosur? Why China suspended beef imports from Argentine meat processing plants

In what appears to be a trade measure taken against the interests of Mercosur, the Asian giant did not provide further details and officials argued the “non-compliance with requirements” by these establishments. In 2024, China imported a record 2.87 million metric tons of beef, causing an oversupply and huge losses for Chinese farms. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are among the largest suppliers of beef to China. Suspension In a notice on its website, the General Administration of Customs of China reported the suspension of beef imports from establishments in three Mercosur countries, specifically Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Specifically, these are two Argentine establishments, Frigorífico Regional General Las Heras S.A and Frio Dock S.A., and three Brazilian suppliers, Frisa Frigorífico Rio Doce S.A., Bon-Mart Frigorifico Ltda and JBS S.A. To which the Uruguayan company Frigorífico Sirsil was added. The Chinese customs agency argued that all the companies involved did not ...